It has conventionally been difficult to use a commercially available glass paper as a substrate for a honeycomb structure (flat sheets+corrugated sheets) in a treatment device equipped with a catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure used for exhaust gas purification treatment or the like.
For example, when trying to mold a commercially available glass paper into a corrugated shape using a corrugation molding machine (corrugator), the paper returns to an original shape even if pressure is applied to a flat glass paper to bend the glass paper, because of a large resilience due to an organic binder contained in the glass paper. Since the glass paper tears when an excessive pressure is applied, a large pressure cannot be applied, and thus there has been a restriction on the type of the glass paper capable of being applied for corrugation processing (see Patent Literature 1 listed below).
Further, up to now, in production of a catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure, tangential portions of the honeycomb structure, i.e., portions where tops of a corrugated sheet contact with a flat sheet have been bonded through an adhesive, and any other means has not been used to hold the honeycomb structure.
In addition, in existing production of an exhaust gas purification treatment device or the like including a honeycomb structure as a substrate, in order to allow the honeycomb structure to support a functional catalyst thereon, a method in which the honeycomb structure itself is immersed in a catalyst-containing solution or slurry has been adopted.
Furthermore, in this honeycomb structure which is formed by alternately stacking and bonding flat sheets and corrugated sheets, for example, in cases where solids are contained in gas to be treated in an exhaust gas purification treatment or the like, a phenomenon that cells (gap portions) of the honeycomb structure are clogged with the solids as the operating time elapses is observed. Since the gas to be treated is not contact with inner walls of the cells having the solids clogged therein, the contact area of the gas to be treated decreases. In addition, the pressure loss also increases. Accordingly, when clogging of a certain level or more occurs by an exhaust gas purification treatment or the like, it is required to exchange the honeycomb structure or to perform a regeneration treatment to solve the clogging.
The regeneration treatment to solve such clogging of a honeycomb structure has heretofore been performed by a method of pushing the clogging portions with a rod or the like.